How to Create a Document on a Member's Behalf

Problem

You need to create a document via API that appears as if a specific team member created it -- for example, assigning document ownership to a sales rep while your integration handles the automation.

Prerequisites

A PandaDoc API key or OAuth token
The target member's email or membership_id (use the List Members endpoint to look up members in your workspace)

Solution

Step 1: Identify the member

Use the List Members endpoint to find the team member's email or membership_id.

Step 2: Add the owner section to the create request

Include an owner object in your create document request body. You can identify the owner by either membership_id or email:

By membership_id:

{
  "name": "Contract for Acme Corp",
  "owner": {
    "membership_id": "radQBiBkU7MBk59NSgaGfd"
  },
  "template_uuid": "ustHNnVaPCD6MzuoNBbZ8L",
  "recipients": [
    {
      "email": "[email protected]"
    }
  ]
}

By email:

{
  "name": "Contract for Acme Corp",
  "owner": {
    "email": "[email protected]"
  },
  "template_uuid": "ustHNnVaPCD6MzuoNBbZ8L",
  "recipients": [
    {
      "email": "[email protected]"
    }
  ]
}

The owner section works with any document creation method (template, file upload, or public URL).

Step 3: Wait for draft status

Document creation is asynchronous. Wait for the document to reach document.draft before proceeding. See Understanding Asynchronous Document Creation for polling and webhook strategies.

Verification

Check the document status -- confirm it reaches document.draft.
Open the document in the PandaDoc web app and verify the owner is the intended team member (visible in document properties).
Use the Document Details endpoint to confirm the created_by field matches the specified owner.

List Members API reference -- retrieve member emails and membership IDs
Create Document API reference -- full endpoint parameters
How to Create a Document from a Template -- template-based creation
How to Send a Document via API -- send the document after creation